An article by Kyle Chayka for The New Yorker discusses the growing concern among social media users about AI using their personal data. Many Instagram users recently shared a message attempting to opt out of AI data usage, but simply posting this message does not change their legal rights. To effectively protect their data, users can set their accounts to private, although this limits their reach.
Other platforms like X and LinkedIn offer specific opt-out options for data sharing, but overall, tech companies make it difficult to sever these ties. AI tools are increasingly integrated into platforms, often with users receiving unsolicited prompts to engage with them. Despite the investment in AI, user demand appears low, leading to feelings of paranoia about its proliferation.
The article highlights the prevalence of low-quality, AI-generated content, referred to as “slop,” which users cannot easily filter out. The lack of regulation in social media makes it unlikely that legal measures will curb A.I. exposure. However, historical precedents like email spam suggest that tech companies might eventually self-regulate to address these issues. For now, avoiding AI content remains a personal responsibility.